An open-top, two-seater sports car designed and manufactured in Dubai was delivered to its excited new owner during the second annual Gulf Concours held on the lawns of the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai.

Classic car aficionado, Gaurav Dhar placed his order for the Chassis number #001 of the Jannarelly Design-1 as soon as he heard about plans to make it in Dubai back in 2015 and has followed its progress from concept to reality every step of the way.

“I could never substitute the privilege I’ve had in participating in the zero day journey with the builders as they built this car form scratch. It’s almost like me taking the first delivery of the very first Lotus,” Dhar said.

“This represents far more than me just buying a regular sports car and money leaves my bank account but to have that opportunity in my backyard where I grew up in Dubai was perfect timing and a dream come true for me,” he added.

Inspired by sports cars of the 1950s and ‘60s such as the pontoon-shaped 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa and the iconic 1962 Shelby AC Cobra, designer Anthony Jannarelly set about to bring pure, open-topped fun back into motoring by building a sports car that has been deliberately stripped of advanced driver aids and creature comforts.

The result is a combination of glamour and nostalgia mixed with modern performance courtesy of a current-spec, Nissan-sourced, 3.5-litre, V6 engine mounted behind the driver. It delivers 310bhp and sits in a fibreglass and carbon fibre composite body that weighs just 810kg.

Jannarelly, who previously styled the Lykan and Fenyr Supersport supercars for W Motors, joined forces with car lover and composite materials expert, Frederic Juillot to develop the Design-1 and together they also designed the upgraded, off-road Zarooq Sand Racer which is nearing completion.

“What was important to us was that the first customer car went to someone here in Dubai. We’ve sent two cars overseas already, one to our distributor in Europe and another to our distributor in the US, but Gaurav is our first paying customer,” Anthony Jannarelly said.

Priced from Dh230,000, ex-Dubai, the Design-1 attracts attention and delivers the thrills of cars twice its price, he said.

“It’s a car that you can really drive the way you want, whether it be on the race track or on a long country drive. It’s super exclusive and it attracts attention the way only cars two or three times its price commands,” he said.

With the keys now in his pocket, Dhar has plans to ensure his Design-1 will be a regular sight on the UAE’s roads long before its international launch in France next February.

“I can’t wait to get it out on the roads and do some nice touring, especially when the weather is so nice. This is the perfect Dubai car, something I can take to the mountains during the day and cruise Sheikh Zayed Road at night,” he said.